Brown's Daily Word 11-9-12

Praise the Lord that it is Friday and that, even better, Sunday is coming. We are gearing up the season of Thanksgiving. In I Thessalonians 5:18 it is written, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Several years ago some German immigrants to America told this story of a woman living on a farm in Germany who brought to her minister an amount in German money equivalent to about $10 in American money. As she laid down the money she said: “In former years I have had to pay about this amount in medicine. This year there has been no sickness in our family. I want to show my gratitude to the Lord in this way.” Some time later this same woman again came to her minister with about $5, explaining that many of her neighbors had suffered some losses in a recent windstorm, but that her farm had been spared. “I bring the church this donation as an offering of thanks.” That’s gratitude!

A catalogue of the simple reasons for a thankful heart follows:
"I am Thankful for.........
....the taxes I pay because it means I’m employed.
....the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
....my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.
....a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
....the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
....my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
....all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.
....the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear.
....the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.
....the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I’m alive.
....the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive."

A 12 year old boy named David was born without an immune system. He underwent a bone marrow transplant in order to correct the deficiency. Up to that point he had spent his entire life in a plastic bubble in order to prevent exposure to common germs, bacteria, and viruses that could kill him. He lived without ever knowing human contact. When asked what he’d like to do if and when released from his protective bubble, he replied, "I want to walk barefoot on grass, and touch my mother’s hand."

Again, let us follow the message of I Thessalonians 5:18 today, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/KxvAaq9q5Kw

A Special Thanksgiving Worship;

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Location: First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Speaker: Dr. Dino Pedrone,

President, Davis College, Binghamton,

Special Music : Worship Band of Davis College,

Organist : Yancey Moore

Pianist: Aric Phinney

All are welcome. For Information call: 607-748-6329

or 607-748-1358

Brown's Daily Word 11-8-12

Blessings and honor to Jesus our Lord who is upon His throne. He blessed us with a winsome Wednesday Evening gathering. The food was very delicious, the fellowship was sweet, and the Study time was a great blessing. We looked at Deuteronomy 8. This is the account of the way the Lord leads His people to the Promised Land, an account which is very instructive for us. It was a strange mixture of difficulty and divine intervention—both hunger and provision. In verse 3 we read that, on the one hand, God allowed these people to suffer hunger. He led them in a wilderness—not a tropical paradise, not a land filled with milk and honey but a dry, dusty desert. Moses describes that place in verse 15, “He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions.”

I am convinced that the same God who parted the Red Sea could have with one stroke wiped out every snake and every scorpion in that desert, but He didn't do that. Instead he allowed His people to contend with snakes, scorpions, hunger, and thirst. Our loving God does not remove all the difficulties we encounter in life.
We know about some of the struggles these people experienced while in the wilderness. There were times when they thought they were going to die of thirst. At Meribah (Exodus 17) the people panicked and were ready to stone Moses. They thought they were going to die of thirst right then and there. God intervened and supplied water from the rock. The rest of verse 15 and the first of verse 16 says, “...He brought you water out of the hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the dessert, something your fathers had never known...” So we have this very interesting combination of experiences. On the one hand, God allowed them to encounter hunger and thirst, but on the other hand, he miraculously provided manna for them to eat. Then He miraculously supplied water.

This combination of provision and want is mentioned all through the Bible. God provides Abraham an heir—but it takes a whole lot longer than Abraham was expecting. Joseph’s dreams come to pass but only after years of slavery and imprisonment. Moses became the great deliverer he was destined to be, but after some humbling experiences and 40 years in the wilderness as a nobody. We could talk about David’s journey to the throne and even his struggles as king. We could talk about Jeremiah. We could talk about all the apostles. The Apostle Paul had abundant visions and revelations. Through him God healed the sick, raised people from the dead, turned multitudes from the power of Satan to a rich life in God. On the island of Malta, people tried to proclaim Paul and Barnabas as gods, but on another occasion, his friends had to lower him from a window in a basket so that he could run for his life. (Moments of great victory and exaltation were tempered with humbling experiences when he was painfully aware of his weakness and humanity.

Paul's combination of life circumstances are why he could say in Phil 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Praise the Lord for all His divine promises, for His divine intervention, and for his continuous presence. As we pause and ponder about His grace and greatness we are propelled to a position of gratitude and thanksgiving.

There was one man who became so troubled that he decided to end his life. Just as he was about to throw himself over a cliff he heard a man call out to him, "Please Sir. Before you throw yourself off that cliff can I please have your watch, shoes and belt? He looked over and there was a homeless man wearing only rags. When he considered how much he had, he got back in his car and started a new life with a greater sense of thankfulness for every little gift from God. He realized that the good things that he had were riches for others.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/J4gej0K_LRo

A Special Thanksgiving Worship;

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Location: First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Speaker: Dr. Dino Pedrone,

President, Davis College, Binghamton,

Special Music : Worship Band of Davis College,

Organist : Yancey Moore

Pianist: Aric Phinney

All are welcome. For Information call: 607-748-6329

or 607-748-1358

Brown's Daily Word 11-7-12

Praise be to Jesus who is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He is upon the Throne. In the midst of the chaos and confusion of the world and the nations we can trust the Lord and declare the He is upon the Throne. He is Prince of peace and the king of all nations.

I love Handel’s Messiah, and probably the most famous section of the Messiah is the "Hallelujah Chorus". It is so grand, so triumphant and majestic. It’s actually not the end of the Messiah; "Worthy is the Lamb" holds that distinction. Though it is not last, the "Hallelujah Chorus" is probably the best known section. My favorite part of the Chorus is when the line from Revelation 11:15 is sung. The voices become very soft and legato: “The kingdom of this world.” Then the strings make an entrance, and the voices still softly sing, “is become.” Then the voices and the instruments join together and strongly, in full voice sing “is become…the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and of his Christ. And he shall reign for ever and ever.”

The music captures so well the truth of the Word of God and His promises. The kingdom of the world is small and fading compared to the majestic kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, who burst on the scene in triumph, power, and royalty, and reign for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Praise be to God that the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of God and of Christ! Revelation 11:15: “Dominion over the world, without challenge or rival, has come into the possession of our Lord and his anointed King.” When the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ there will be no more lawlessness, no more rebellion, no more brokenness, no more injustice, and no more unrighteousness. So rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore. Rejoice, give thanks and sing and triumph evermore. Lift up your heart, lift up your voice. Rejoice, again, I say, rejoice!

"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce - and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution - and it vas not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. "Alexis de Tocqueville

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/6OxSYe8_e4Y

A Special Thanksgiving Worship;

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Location: First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Speaker: Dr. Dino Pedrone,

President, Davis College, Binghamton,

Special Music : Worship Band of Davis College,

Organist : Yancey Moore

Pianist: Aric Phinney

All are welcome. For Information call: 607-748-6329

or 607-748-1358

Brown's Daily Word 11-6-12

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in Him. Today America the beautiful goes to the polls for the General Election. Those of us live in the USA, let's plan to vote.

The son of the Hammas Leader in West Bank, became a Christian. He lives in the USA now, witnessing to Moslems about the life-changing grace and power of Jesus Christ. In one of his video presentations he shares eloquently and lucidly stating that "Jesus came down not to take sides with various political factions and parties; rather Jesus came to take over." It is written in Revelation 11:15, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” We will cast out our ballots today knowing that Jesus is King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is upon the His Throne.

Our God and the Lord whom we worship and serve, is omnipotent. In

Genesis 17:1 God spoke to 99 year old Abraham who was promised a child by God. By this time his body was “as good as dead” (Romans 4:19-22). In the face of all his very understandable doubts God reassures him by calling himself El Shaddai, which means Almighty God. It was God’s way of saying, “Don’t look in the mirror, Abraham. Look at me. If I say you’re going to have a son, it’s going to happen. Age means nothing to me. I am Almighty God.”

God's Omnipotence teaches us that no power in all the universe can stop God or impede his plans. Not evil men. Not natural catastrophe. Not reversal of fortune. Not fate or luck or chance. Not human error. Not even Satan can hinder God’s plan in the least. In the words of Martin Luther, the devil is “God’s devil” because he serves God’s purposes.
This is a most comforting thought because we live in a world where all our best work remains necessarily unfinished. Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Hemingway, Wright, Edison, da Vinci—they all left behind unfinished paintings, unfinished manuscripts, plans for buildings that were never built. That’s the way it is in this world. In fact, of all the people who have ever lived on planet earth, only Jesus our Lord,could truthfully cry out at the end of his life, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Furthermore, even when we finish something it’s never really finished, as evidenced by the fact that houses must be repainted and the beds made every morning.
Yet, when God starts to do something, he stays on the job until it is completed. There is never a divine power failure, never a blackout, a brownout, or a meltdown. Our eternal security rests on the truth of God’s omnipotence. We are kept by his power, not by ours (1 Peter 1:5). He is the God who is able to keep us from falling (Jude 24). When God begins a “good work” in a person’s life, he won’t stop halfway through. He continues it until it is finished (Philippians 1:6). This is a source of great encouragement to every struggling saint. No matter how great the need, God’s resources are never depleted.
We continue to see video images of the aftermath of " Hurricane " Sandy". We see the pictures of gas shortages and long lines of traffic due to the great gas shortage. That never happens with God. Because he is omnipotent, his power knows no limits. He is never worn out, exhausted, or “running on fumes” so we can safely cast all our cares on him. He not only cares for you, he’s got unlimited power to carry our burdens and to solve our problems.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/YKYNDLYWds0

A Special Thanksgiving Worship;

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Location: First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Speaker: Dr. Dino Pedrone,

President, Davis College, Binghamton,

Special Music : Worship Band of Davis College,

Organist : Yancey Moore

Pianist: Aric Phinney

All are welcome. For Information call: 607-748-6329

or 607-748-1358

Brown's Daily Word 11-5-12

Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful weekend. It was a great thrill and joy to be in the house of the Lord yesterday. I preached from Psalm 46. It is written, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear."

We live in a world where many people allow themselves to be limited by their fears of hurt, disappointment or criticism, but David praised God and then experienced release from His fears. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 34, "I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips." Praise helps us gain a new perspective. Praising God’s Lordship over all aspects of life help us see that He is sovereign and His omnipotence is greater than any problem.

When we are focused on Jesus as the one who overcomes the world we are given increased sense of His empowerment, enabling, and courage. Jesus said, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."

The Psalmist wrote, "I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all of my fears." (Psalm 34:4) We are invited to call upon the Lord to deliver us from all our fears by seeking His face and His grace. Whenever we feel afraid we can trust Him to provide whatever we need. He makes us adequate with His adequacy. He provides us with courage when we are feeling timid.

Whenever John Wesley felt afraid he would just pause to pray and praise God for the fact that He was still on the throne of heaven ruling all things well. Wesley wrote, "I have never known more than fifteen minutes of anxiety or fear. Whenever, I feel fearful emotions overtaking me I just close my eyes and thank God that he is still on the throne reigning over everything and I take comfort in His control over all the affairs of my life."
"Unbelief puts our circumstance between us and God, but faith puts God
between us and our circumstances." F.B. Meyer

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/PMCOyY0Rlus

A Special Thanksgiving Worship;

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Location: First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Speaker: Dr. Dino Pedrone,

President, Davis College, Binghamton,

Special Music : Worship Band of Davis College,

Organist : Yancey Moore

Pianist: Aric Phinney

All are welcome. For Information call: 607-748-6329

or 607-748-1358